Revenge and Truffles
by JDPhoenix
Summary: Kelsi stays late at Lava Springs waiting for her ride and runs into someone unexpected.


AN: I am shamelessly promoting the Ryelsi group over on LJ. The link's at the top of my profile.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save the plot and actual writing.

**Revenge and Truffles**

Kelsi was quickly losing her patience. She paced from one end of the practice room to the other, ignoring her unkempt reflection in the mirrored wall while she waited angrily for her brother's voicemail to pick up -- again.

"This is your sister, doofus," she growled. "This is the **third time** I've called and I really need you to get your butt down here soon. I can't exactly spend the night at Lava Springs." She sighed, knowing that her tone would only make him want to let her do just that. "And if you don't call me back soon I'm gonna call Mom and tell her you've abandoned me."

She clicked the phone shut and turned toward the piano, intent on taking her anger out on the innocent floorboards by marching across the room. She was stopped by the boy frozen in the doorway. The room was dark and the only light came from the moon outside, but that was enough.

"Don't," Ryan pleaded.

She shook her head in an unvoiced apology as she began laughing. In a moment she was kneeling on the floor, trying futilely to control herself.

"Come on," he said almost desperately. He took a step into the room and only then did she notice that the outfit he wore was covered in sequins. Even in the pale moonlight they glinted brightly. Soon Kelsi was fighting to breathe through her laughter. She bent forward, crossing her legs beneath her and touching her forehead to the ground.

Ryan sat down before her and cradled his chin in his hand. This wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting. After Sharpay's betrayal during "Humuhumunukunukuapua'a," he'd planned on stopping in the kitchen before heading outside for a late night dip in one of the spas. He'd been waylaid by a voice in the practice room and had paused just long enough to be caught by Kelsi.

When her shoulders stopped shaking she looked carefully up at him from beneath the bill of her cap. He pulled it off her head in one quick motion, sending her hair falling down around her face.

"It's not that bad," he said, spinning the cap idly around his finger.

She reached up and took the crown from his head. "Yes, it is."

He ran a hand through his hair, grabbing the lei as he went. "I forgot I was wearing that."

"Yeah, I'd probably forget too if I was wearing --" she gestured at his costume -- "all of that. For the talent show?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "But, I think I'm out."

"Out?" she echoed. "For Troy?"

"Sharpay has big plans, I just don't fit in them anymore."

Kelsi frowned. "I'm sure you fit. Sharpay's just --"

Ryan's eyebrow rose incredulously.

"She's just a jerk," Kelsi finished. "There's a problem though." She reached out to lift the shimmering fabric from his shoulder. "I don't think Troy can pull this look off."

Though it wasn't very funny, he couldn't help but laugh and found the tension of the day melting away.

Kelsi's phone buzzed and he quickly silenced himself as she flipped it open.

"What took you so long?" she snapped. She rolled her eyes and put a hand over the mouthpiece while the caller continued speaking. "My idiot brother is late picking me up." Her eyes widened suddenly and she cried, "An hour! You're already two hours late! Get your fat butt down here! Hey!" The last was to Ryan, who had grabbed the phone away from her.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Ryan Evans, a friend of your sister's." His eyes widened at the reply and Kelsi leaned forward, trying to hear what was being said. Ryan leaned back and said, "I'll get her home, okay?" Ryan's eyes widened further and, despite the bleaching light from the moon, Kelsi could have sworn he paled a bit. "I- yeah, I understand. No, never. I promise. _Never." _

"What was that about?" Kelsi asked when Ryan closed the phone and handed it back to her.

Ryan gingerly put on Kelsi's hat which, she had to admit, looked good on him, and rose to his feet. He reached down to help her up.

"Your brother," he said, grabbing his crown from her hand, "is very overprotective." He took great care settling the crown on her head and she ducked slightly, trying to hide her blush. When he was done he pulled back to examine her. "You're right," he said, "Troy could never pull that off."

"What about me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, definitely. Better than me, even. Come on, we have to go to the kitchen first."

"For what?" she asked, hurrying to catch up with him.

"Revenge," he said in his most sinister voice and cackled wickedly.

"How --?" Her eyes widened. Every day, without fail, Zeke baked an extra special treat for Sharpay and left it for her to pick up after the wildcats were all gone. And since egging Sharpay's pink convertible seemed too pedestrian for Ryan… "You're not going to steal Zeke's chocolate truffles, are you? He spent his whole lunch hour on those."

"Chocolate truffles? Are you serious? Now I'm definitely stealing them."

Kelsi shrugged, giving in. "They did look tasty."

"My thoughts exactly." Ryan spun around and laced his fingers behind his back, as he looked playfully up at her from beneath the brim of her hat. "Now, why don't you tell me why your brother already knew who I was?"

Kelsi stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Yup," Ryan said, turning and breezing towards the kitchens. "His exact words were, 'the Ryan Evans who Kelsi always talks about.'"

"I talk about everyone," Kelsi said. "If Chad had grabbed the phone he would have said the same to him."

Ryan stopped and leaned against the wall, turning his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. "Would he have made Chad promise that his intentions were honorable?"

Kelsi put her burning face in her hands. "Please tell me he didn't say 'honorable intentions.'"

"Well, he didn't use the words together, but they were in the same sentence."

"He is such a dork," Kelsi sighed and looked up to see Ryan staring at her in a tiki warrior outfit, wearing her favorite bargain bin, sixty percent off, completely out of style cap. "And so are you."

"Hey!" Ryan said and swatted her with the lei that he'd pulled from his hair earlier. She ran away with a small scream and he chased her all the way to the kitchen where Zeke's truffles waited.


End file.
